Our 2026 Judges

Alan is an accomplished procurement leader with a distinguished career delivering large-scale transformation, operational excellence, and strategic value across complex organisations and multiple industries. A CIPS Fellow, he brings more than three decades of experience shaping and leading high-performing procurement and supply chain functions, aligning them tightly to customer needs and business strategy to drive significant improvements in performance and value creation. Recognised throughout his career for bringing pace, clarity and strategic direction to environments undergoing major change, Alan has led procurement and supply chain teams across both the public and private sectors. He has consistently championed best practice in talent development, supplier relationship management, supply chain risk and resilience, and sustainability and social value. With his extensive background, strategic mindset, and proven transformation track record, Alan brings a highly credible, insightful, and forward-thinking perspective to the CIPS Awards judging panel.

Amelle is the Procurement & Sustainability Director for Equans, with over 25 years’ experience in the built environment. She’s progressed from a frontline receptionist to a transformational senior leader, recognised for driving digital procurement innovation, strengthening governance, and embedding sustainability and social value into business operations. She’s a prominent industry voice on Scope 3 emissions, sustainable procurement and supply-chain collaboration, shaping national conversations through thought leadership and cross-sector partnerships. A passionate advocate for inclusion, Amelle also serves as Co-Chair of B.together, Bouygues SA’s DE&I network, championing equity, allyship and the development of underrepresented talent across the industry. Known for her strategic mindset and values-driven leadership, Amelle is committed to advancing responsible procurement practices that deliver social, environmental and economic value for clients and communities.

A procurement leader with over 35 years’ experience in FTSE 100 companies including GSK, BP, Lloyds Banking Group, Andy delivers transformational change to accelerate value delivery to the bottom line and build sustainable capability. He’s enjoyed a varied career covering sourcing, supplier management, process/systems enablement and transformation.

Andrew joined NHS Supply Chain as CEO in September 2021 and has led the organisation as it continues to develop a modern and agile supply chain. Under his leadership, the organisation developed a new operating model, aligning it to the evolving needs of the NHS. This transformation brought previously outsourced providers in-house, enhancing the organisations critical capabilities and standardising and integrating its ways of working. Andrew’s commitment to workforce development has been a priority, earning the organisation recognition as one of the top employers in the country for investment in colleague training and development. His unwavering dedication to the NHS has underscored the vital role of procurement in saving lives and improving health outcomes. Through its people, processes and technology, NHS Supply Chain is implementing its strategy to buy smart, supply right and partner expertly, making it easier for the NHS to put patients first. The organisation is on track to create £1 billion of recurrent value to return to the NHS from 2030, making a profound impact on the healthcare system. Before joining NHS Supply Chain, Andrew served as the Executive Director for Procurement and Supply Chain at JCB, overseeing the global supply chain. He has also held senior roles at Magnox Ltd (a subsidiary to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) and Babcock International Group PLC, bringing extensive experience across the retail, leisure, engineering and property sectors. He also holds a master’s in business administration and a BSc in chemical physics from the University of Bristol.

Ben leads the procurement and supply chain function for Whitbread PLC, the FTSE 100 owner of Premier Inn. Ben’s career has spanned a variety of commercial, procurement and supply chain roles, principally in the food service sector in Europe and the Middle East.

As global procurement director at Dentsu, Claire oversees worldwide spend management and facilitates market optimisation through global agreements. Her role includes managing supplier risk, implementing sustainable procurement practices and ensuring the efficiency of procurement operations. With a focus on strategic procurement initiatives, she drives value creation across Dentsu’s global network. Her commitment lies in creating an environment where individuals feel valued, empowered and motivated to excel.

David is a highly experienced commercial, procurement and supply chain leader, who works in complex businesses where supply chains and suppliers are critical to driving business success. He has worked across several sectors, improving procurement capability, driving supplier management, aligning suppliers to business goals and delivering improved outcomes with them. David was director of commercial and procurement at Thames Water and a Board member of the Retail Energy Code Company.

Einav is currently the director general, chief operating officer and chief commercial officer for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with a 30-year exceptional track record of leadership across a range of sectors, including banking, retail, infrastructure, housing and government. She is a member of Defra’s Executive Committee, accountable for all internal operations including for finance, technology, people, property and commercial functions.  Einav is also an experienced NED at Fera Science, a world-leading science institute. She leads a host of teams that have won awards, including the Civil Service Data Challenge the Procurement Leaders and CIPS Excellence in Procurement & Supply Awards.  Einav is a vocal supporter of campaigns to promote more equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and frequently highlights the importance of creating a workplace where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work.    Einav holds a first-class degree in behavioural sciences and a master’s with distinction from Oxford University. 

Emma is Head of Procurement & Supplier Management at Wesleyan Assurance Society. She leads the delivery of the supplier strategy through a strong team of procurement, supplier management and third-party risk management professionals. With over 30 years’ procurement and supply experience, Emma has held various roles across financial services, manufacturing and FMCG organisations, travelling the world in pursuit of developing new supply chains. She’s been based in Shropshire for the past 18 years, where she lives with her husband and rescue dog. Emma holds a degree in Business Studies and an MBA with Merit, and has been a CIPS Fellow since 2014.

Gus has over 25 years’ procurement and contract management experience working at Rolls-Royce, the BBC and Lockheed Martin. He was Head of Procurement for one of the largest government shared services in England, and took the reins of Northamptonshire County Council following its bankruptcy, where he drove smarter controls and aggressive savings to support its recovery. He spearheaded the “Future Northants” devolution programme, consolidating eight organisations into two, for which he was awarded Procurement Individual of the Year at the National GO Awards 2022. Since then, he’s led procurement at a brand-new unitary authority since its inception and now manages the procurement team for one of the largest unitary authorities in England.

James is a senior executive who’s transformed operations and supply chains in large, asset-intensive organisations, and is currently Chief Procurement Officer at SSE. He’s worked across a variety of business sectors and has deep experience in transport, energy infrastructure, defence and commercial aerospace, serving both private- and public-sector customers.

John joined Just Eat in 2019 to design, build, lead and develop the procurement function. Shortly after its launch, John led the integration programme for procurement as the newly merged businesses of Just Eat and Takeaway.com in 2020. Prior to Just Eat, John was Merlin Entertainments’ group procurement director and previously spent five years procurement consulting, working in the US and UK across many industries such as music, video game publishing, retail, banking and food.  He developed his collaborative co-piloting approach through many spend categories early on in his career at companies such as Nestlé and Thales, where he held numerous national and international positions within procurement and supply chain in the UK and Switzerland.  

John is the current Chief Commercial Officer at HMRC, a position he’s held since 2023. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief Procurement Officer at NatWest, working on sourcing, contract and vendor management, third-party risk management, external outsourcing policy, supplier assurance and CSR goals. Before joining NatWest, John was with the Royal Bank of Scotland. In addition to being HMRC’s Chief Commercial Officer, John is also a magistrate (or Justice of the Peace) a couple of days a month.

Lauren has recently joined Entain to lead group procurement, having recently led the procurement function at DS Smith, a global leader in sustainable packaging. She has successfully united procurement through a period of significant acquisitions and divestments across 30 countries. Lauren is an experienced CPO leader with a successful record of bringing productivity, step-out innovation and value across procurement and supply chain. She has award-winning experience in transformation across procurement and shared services. Lauren’s industry experience spans manufacturing; energy, oil and gas (BP); FMCG (Diageo); banking and finance; and IT and telco

Mark is an experienced senior executive with a background in operations and engineering. He’s currently group chief procurement officer at Experian, including executive leadership of third-party risk management and our real estate portfolio.

Nick is a Fellow of CIPS with more than 25 years’ experience in third-party management across diverse markets. He has a proven track record of procurement transformation, value creation and third-party risk management within market-leading and multinational organisations, including Fulham Football Club, BNP Paribas, Allianz and Close Brothers.

Nicos FCIPS is a senior procurement and governance leader with over three decades of experience in aerospace and defence, including 27 years in global procurement leadership at Airbus. He has led large-scale transformation and governance initiatives in complex, regulated environments and now operates as a strategic procurement governance adviser.

Ninian Wilson Global Supply Chain Management Director & CEO Vodafone Procure $ Connect. Ninian Wilson joined Vodafone in 2009 as IT procurement director and became a board member of the Vodafone Procurement Company in November 2009. From 2014 to 2016, Ninian served as technology director of Supply Chain Management, overseeing all technology sourcing, including networks and IT. In March 2016, he was appointed director of supply chain management for Vodafone Group and CEO of the Vodafone Procurement Company, leading a centralised supply chain management function with a focus on digital transformation. Recently, Ninian was named Vodafone’s Executive Sponsor for LGBT+, supporting the company's purpose-led strategy. Before Vodafone, Ninian was operations director for the UK’s Royal Mail, managing one of the country’s largest private workforces and overseeing the company's customer promise and transformation programme.

Pamela is Senior Civil Service Commercial Specialist in the Government Commercial Function. Her career in spans public sector procurement and commercial management, with extensive experience in commercial transformation, strategic sourcing, improving commercial performance, contract management and commissioning services. She had the opportunity to work on a portfolio of complex public sector programmes, with her current role procuring the next generation of fighter jets for the Royal Air Force.

Currently director of sustainable procurement at Deutsche Bank, Paul holds a master’s in sustainability from Cranfield University, is a CIPS and IEMA Fellow, and a Chartered Environmentalist. Paul started his career in procurement before transitioning into sustainability in 2016. He established what became a multi-award winning sustainability programme at Princes Group (part of Mitsubishi Corporation) and has served as a Board Director of the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Food Network for Ethical Trade. He currently sits as a Board Adviser at the University of Liverpool’s Centre for Sustainable Business.

Richard is an Associate Director at KPMG, Major Projects Advisory. He’s a recognised expert in procurement and commercial strategy for the UK construction and infrastructure sector, and advocates for better outcomes in the industry through collaboration and commercial clarity. With over 35 years’ experience delivering major capital programmes for main contractors and in consultancy, he’s led commercial and procurement for flagship projects across aviation, sports and culture, utilities, transport, heritage, urban regeneration and construction logistics. Richard is highly regarded for his ability to shape market-aligned commercial models, drive rigorous assurance, and mobilise high-performing supply chains on complex construction and infrastructure projects in both the public and private sectors, as well as internationally.

Rob drives transformation and performance turnarounds across multiple sectors. As director of procurement and supply chain at Deliveroo, he is leading an opex cost base and digital transformation key to delivering on Deliveroo’s long-term profitability and investor commitments. With experience in retail, e-commerce, FMCG, manufacturing, construction and government, Rob has led procurement at Amazon Fresh, John Lewis Partnership and Tarmac, alongside advisory roles with Babcock, Universal Music, Diageo and the UK Cabinet Office. He has delivered large-scale procurement and digital transformations, optimised global sourcing, and improved operational efficiencies and performance while embedding innovation and sustainability. His expertise lies in aligning procurement with business strategy, strengthening supplier collaboration and managing complex supply chains to drive sustainable value.

Passionate about leading in business turnaround or complex delivery environments, Rory operates at board-level to analyse business performance and integrate views on the operating environment to set plans and put teams in place to deliver improved business performance. With deep industry and consulting experience, he has led successful transformation projects in process and manufacturing industries, working across people, culture, process and technology to deliver greater results and reinvent teams.

Sam is the Chief Executive of Crown Commercial Service (CCS), the UK’s largest public procurement organisation, where she’s tasked with executing CCS’s vision as the preferred framework provider for public sector organisations. Sam has extensive public and private sector experience, including her previous role as Chief Commercial Officer at the Home Office, where she oversaw £8 billion in annual expenditures, and formerly a Commercial Director at CCS. Sam has a strong background in managing complex procurements and leading significant transformations and also worked across various industries. Based in the north-west of England, she enjoys outdoor activities, cooking and travelling with her family.

Sarah is honoured to have been asked to be a member of the judging panel this year. She is director of strategy, assurance and standards for the Government Commercial Function, an organisation of more than 6,000 procurement and contract management professionals across the public sector who maximise value for money from over £168bn of contracted spend. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Audit Committee for the Non-Ministerial Departments of Jersey, which assures economic, effective and efficient operation of services. She has 25 years of commercial experience in both the public and private sectors, leading high-performing teams directly and in matrix management environments. The results have led to internal and external recognition, including an award for significant cross government corporate contribution and multiple Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply awards.

Simon is the Chief Procurement Officer at National Grid, a role in which he is responsible for ~£10bn of procurement spend across National Grid’s UK & US Business Units. Simon leads a team of 400+ procurement professionals who, in partnership with the business and the supply chain, source and deliver the projects that will transform the grid infrastructure and help underpin the net zero transition. Simon holds a BSc (Honours) First Class in Environmental Biology from the University of Liverpool, UK and he is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS)

Simon Hannak has worked in procurement for over 20 years in various sectors and is currently at Costa Coffee (part of The Coca-Cola Company) as Global Head of Procurement. Simon is passionate about advancing and promoting the profession and sits on the Derbyshire & East Midlands CIPS committee as Vice Chair. Shortlisted numerous times, Simon was delighted to finally lead a winning entry in the 2024 CIPS Award for Best Transformation Project of the year.

Tim is a professional in procurement (FCIPS) and supply chain (CMILT), and holds a certificate and diploma in company direction from the Institute of Directors. He was named CIPS Professional of the Year in 2017. He has a variety of senior level experience in different market sectors at blue chip organisations and has been director of supply chain at National Air Traffic Services since 2012. Additionally, he has been director of property and facilities management since 2020. Prior to this, he held senior roles with Royal Mail, BAA and Sainsbury’s. He is a director of the Institute for Collaborative Working and a trustee of the CAA Pension Fund.

Tim is a senior commercial leader who brings a unique customer-centric approach to reinvigorating procurement, supplier relationship management, risk management functions and sustainability. He focuses on what matters to the customer and the company, as well as timely value. Tim is committed to hiring and developing brilliant people, and to getting his teams excited and energised about commercial opportunities. He also strives to be proactive in finding and driving opportunities to be better, delivering at pace to get the best outcomes, and using insight and experience to deliver what’s needed. Tim specialises in turning around commercial functions, often in distressed businesses, to deliver a function that’s valued by the board and shareholders, and to create a place where people want to work and grow.

Yasmine is a procurement leader specialising in strategic sourcing, supplier management and cost optimisation. as global head of indirect procurement at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, she oversees procurement for marketing, store design and visual merchandising, technology and corporate services, driving efficiency and innovation. She has a proven track record in procurement transformation, supplier negotiations, and operational excellence within the beauty and luxury retail sectors.